Great Tribulation

A lot has already been written in regard to possible signs appearing in the skies in September of this year.

As Christians we are called to be ready for the Lord’s return. From an early age as a Christian I have watched expectantly for the Rapture and the Messiah, Jesus’ Coming. In my teens, I was heavily influenced by Hal Lindsay’s writings. Clearly, we are called to be watchmen and to long for His appearance.

The Lord Jesus said, “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them” (Luke 12:37).

We may not know what the signs of September 23rd (Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets) may portend. Could it be the Rapture, the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation, or a coming war involving Israel? Or nothing at all? It is all speculative at this point. But just as the Magi (Matt. 2:1-12), Simeon (Luke 2:25-32), and Anna (Luke 2:36-38) had information pointing to the Messiah’s first coming, it is reasonable to believe that there is information that we believers today may have to alert us to His soon return.

So, when I heard about the possible new way of looking at Revelation chapter 12, I was fascinated and excited. There are various references that Christian brethren have on the internet that point to the signs in September as being a possible astronomical fulfillment of Revelation 12.

So, I would advise you to be discerning in pondering the meaning of these observations that many brethren have made. We are not to use stars, planets, the moon or sun to plan our day to day lives (that is Astrology). However, the Word does say that feasts (such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover) and signs in the heavens are indicators of Christ’s coming. Please ask the Lord what these signs in the heavens mean and how you should prioritize your work for Him accordingly.

Scholars commonly interpret the country of Togarmah, which is mentioned as being one of the countries that attacks Israel in the Gog – Magog war (Ezek. 38-39), as the modern country of Turkey. So, this news item below, in which the Prime Minister of Turkey mentions invading Jerusalem should serve notice that the End Time stage setting to the war could be speeding up. Since Ezekiel’s prophecy tells us that it will take 7 years for the weapons from this war to be destroyed (Ezek. 39:9), I believe that the Gog – Magog war will take place just before the Great Tribulation and may even be the catalyst that leads to the Jews’ re- building of the third Temple in Jerusalem (since God will miraculously prevent Israel from being destroyed – Ezek. 39:6-8).

The Prime Minister of Turkey Is Now Having Talks About Invading Jerusalem, In A Major World War

By Walid and Theodore Shoebat (Shoebat Exclusive)
A major talk was organized in Konya the birth place of Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu and in his presence before a jubilant crowd shouting in Nazi style Davutoğlu can be seen elated at the statements spoken by the leader of Hamas, Khalid Mashal. The fiery speech hailed Turkey headed by Erdogan and Davutoğlu as the representative and head of the entire Muslim world and praised him for the soon invasion of Jerusalem in the coming world war.

In the speech, which was not aired in major media (Shoebat.com was able to obtain the footage thanks to Willi Adelberger) and after the crowd calmed down their Nazi style chants, Mashal reminded that “Jerusalem is the first center of direction for Muslims. It was Konya that in 1980 when Jerusalem was threatened rose up for Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque”. Looking towards the near future Mashal declared:

As Turkey for centuries was the main defender of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, likewise with you are the center of the Muslim Umma (Muslim nation) which will carry on the mission of liberating Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque.

At the 6:10 mark of the video Khalid Mashal declared:

know this, that strong Turkey is the strength of Palestine and of Jerusalem.

At around the 7:14 mark he exclaimed:

Turkey is the strength that represents all Muslim nations.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Erdogan’s right hand man, is seen instantly clapping in jubilation at such affirmations the moment Khalid Mashal spoke of conquering Jerusalem with the crowds waiving flags that stem from the Turkish favorite colors in which the Ottomans prided themselves with the “fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow” (Revelation 9:17) which are also the colors of the flags the neo-Ottomans like to carry. In every time one can see Davutoğlu, he is smiling in joy.

Mashal complemented the AKP Islamic party of Turkey of their accomplishments in what he termed “lightening speed to have accomplished what they accomplished for the advancement of the Muslim world”. “Allah is with us and is with you for victory” Mashal reminded of war against Israel. He ended his speech reminding that he will invite Erdogan and Davutoğlu into the Temple Mount: “We were welcomed in Istanbul and now in Konya and tomorrow we will welcome you into the platform of Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount) in the next conferences, by the will of Allah”.

It is obvious what this signifies: the Turkish government wants to invade Jerusalem in a holy war, or jihad. World War III will then be over Jerusalem, which indicates one glorious coming event: the Crusades will be revived, and the Final Crusade is will occur.

What is very sad, though, is that the Muslim world still has the spirit of jihad, and we in the West are still stuck in the mindset of the Enlightenment, in which the idea of Holy War or a Crusade is mocked and seen as lunacy, and where secular wars are praised over religious wars.

We must revive the spirit of Holy War, for no secular war will fully extinguish the enemies of Christianity. With secular wars there is an invasion, battles, and then compromise. In religious war there is no compromise, only obliteration of evil for the cause of the good.

“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy is perhaps the best known of all prophetic Scripture regarding Israel and End Times. It also may very well be the most often misunderstood of all eschatological Bible passages. The prophetic passages in Dan. 9:24-27 give us a glimpse of key events that are to take place impacting Israel and its people. Understanding the Scripture properly influences greatly how one understands many other pieces of Scripture involving prophecy of things that to take place before the coming age. To properly understand the message of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is to understand God’s faithfulness and determination to bring forth Israel’s chosen King and Lord: Jesus Christ. Misunderstanding the Scripture is to underestimate God’s nature and faithfulness to His covenant people in respect to keeping the prophetic promises written of throughout the Old and New Testaments.

H.A. Ironside writes of the importance of understanding the Seventy Weeks prophecy:

For if the 70 weeks are to be misunderstood, then, an effort will necessarily be made to bend all the other prophetic Scripture passages into accord with that misinterpretation. But if we have a correct understanding of the teaching of this chapter, we can then see readily how all prophecy, without any forcing, falls right into place and is intimately linked with this the greatest of all-time prophecies (H. A. Ironside, Daniel, Kregel, 2005, 86).

A key to understanding the passages of the 70 Weeks in in understanding the context in which the revelation was given. It is clear from the passages in Daniel 9:1-19 that the revelation that Gabriel brought to Daniel was given to him in response to his fervent prayer. It is believed that the time period for the events described in chapter nine was approximately 70 years after Israel’s initial deportation to Babylon after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The text says that Daniel had been reading Jeremiah’s writings and understood that Jerusalem would remain desolate for seventy years.

Jeremiah’s prophecies clearly indicated a 70 year period in which Israel’s land would be left desolate:

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jer. 25:8-11).

Jeremiah revealed what the Lord said would come after the 70 years in exile as well: “After seventy weeks are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word for you, and cause you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:10). When he came to understand Jeremiah’s prophecies regarding the seventy year exile that God had appointed, Daniel was prompted to pray for Israel’s forgiveness and for Jerusalem to be delivered from its time of desolation. As is evident in the words of 9:12, Daniel was familiar with the Law of Moses and the judgment that God would bring upon Israel if they were unfaithful to Him:

Moses writes, “I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them. They shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs” (Deut. 32:23-25).

He also would have known of the Scripture regarding the consequences of disobedience to God: “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Lev. 26:14-17).

But Daniel must have also understood the Scripture regarding God’s promised of faithfulness and mercy if only Israel would repent and turn away from its iniquities and call upon the name of Yahweh:

“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt– then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 26:40-45).

Daniel also understood from Jeremiah’s writings that God would never allow Israel to cease to exist as a people to Him. Jeremiah writes: “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:36-37).

In Daniel 9:16, 18, Daniel appeals to God’s sense of righteousness and mercy in hope that He will turn away His anger from Jerusalem and His sanctuary. Daniel, in his sincere devotion to the Lord, is compelled to bring his humble petition to Him. There is nothing in the text to suggest that Daniel has excerpted words from prayers from people such as Nehemiah as some critical scholars have suggested (A. A. Bevan, A Short Commentary on the Book of Daniel, 1892, 150). It is Daniel’s familiarity with the Law, the writings of Jeremiah, and his intimate knowledge of the nature of God that enables him to compose such a humble prayer in chapter nine. This prayer serves as a great model for anyone needing to call upon the name of the Lord. Daniel, as a great man of faith, displays the kind of heart that God desires in His people. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

That his prayer is effective is evident in the swiftness with which Gabriel provides the answer to Daniel along with a revelation from God. Daniel pleadingly offers up a humble request on behalf of his nation, Israel, to be forgiven of sins and for Jerusalem to be restored back to its people. Understanding Daniel’s intended audience is a key to understanding the prophetic message that Gabriel brings to him. The revelation that Gabriel brings to Daniel directly addresses the remaining days for Israel. J. A. Seiss writes: “It is not the Jew and Jerusalem in one case, and Christians and the church in another. It is the Jew and Jerusalem first, last, and all the time, and nothing but the Jew and Jerusalem, and what pertains to them (J. A. Seiss, Voices from Babylon, 1879, 240). So, it is with the correct understanding of application that we must examine the prophecy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks in 9:24-27.

Question: what do we know about the first time Jesus came to live among us?

There were signs, right?

The three Magi saw the star and knew a King would be born.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matt. 2:1-2).

God said that the stars in Heaven were to serve as markers or signs.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; (Gen. 1:14).

What do we know about the people during His first Coming?

Well, for the most part, The Jews were not looking for Him! So, they did not know the time of His coming. In what I believe to be the most haunting passage in the New Testament, Jesus said to the Jews, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:42-44).

But, what do we know about the time before at the end before the Messiah’s Return? Well, we know that Jesus himself said there would be signs before His second coming, also.

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;” (Luke 21:25).

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31).

Four Lunar eclipses that are occurring in conjunction with biblical Feast days during 2014-15 would seem to serve as a type of sign, wouldn’t you think? After all, Scripture says, regarding the biblical Feasts, “These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Lev. 23:4).

If, for some reason, you have not heard of this amazing astronomical event (the lunar tetrad), here is the time table for the Lunar and solar eclipses events of 2014-15:

There will be four blood red moons (two have already happened) that will fall on four biblical feast days over the next two years….

This is extremely rare but not without precedent.

The other times it has happened in history they have served as monumental omens for events following soon after in the nation of Israel.

Here are the dates for the four that fall in 2014-15:

Passover April 15, 2014

Feast of Tabernacles October 8, 2014

Passover April 4, 2015

Feast of Tabernacles September 28, 2015

Two solar eclipses connected with God’s Holy Days in 2014-2015, also will occur:

Adar 29/Nisan 1(new year) March 20, 2015

Feast of Trumpets September 13, 2015

Some History around what has happened in the past when blood red moons have occurred on Feast days:

1949/1950- the years following Israel’s re-gathering as a nation - and a time during which the new nation fought for its survival in a war of Independence

1967/1968 – Jerusalem was liberated on June 7th, 1967 and as a result of the Six-Day War, for the first time since 70 AD, the city belonged to the nation of Israel.

Before that, you have to go back to 1493/1494 for four successive lunar eclipses on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles” – a time right after the Jewish expulsion from Spain and the opening up of the exploration of America, a country where millions of Jews live today. See: http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2012/denish419.htm

Prophecy in the News, writes, “This is most unusual. It is a rare occurrence for four lunar cycles on successive Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) observances. It will not happen again for hundreds of years. Four lunar eclipses occurring on the Feast of Tabernacles and Passover in two successive years are phenomenal. But add to them two solar eclipses on the two days that open the Jewish year Adar 29/Nisan1, just two weeks before Passover, and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashannah) – is uncanny. On each of these six Jewish Holy Days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her light. Will this happen again in the 21st century? No.”

Now, I am not Date Setting for the Rapture of the Church, here (although I believe I received a word from the Lord concerning the general timing of His return 6 years ago). Since these are Feast days that we are talking about, and Jews everywhere were commanded to observe them, we could more likely be talking about an event that is significant to Israel. While it is possible that the Rapture could occur, maybe it is more likely that a war impacting Israel may take place. What I am referring to is more properly understood as “Stage setting”. There are quite a few significant events that have taken place the first lunar eclipse occurred on April 15th. I will write on that in my next post.

The key thing I want to mention here is that the Bible instructs us to be actively looking for Jesus’ return!

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them” (Luke 12:37).

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt. 24:4)

“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”(Titus” 2:13).

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things (Christ’s Coming), be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;” (2 Pet. 3:14).

Most people today will not be looking for him. Many churches completely disregard the study of End Times prophecy, thinking that it is too difficult to understand. Scripture is clear that people (some professing Christians even) will doubt the Return of Christ. I have witnessed scoffing and sneering from both non-believers and so-called scholars alike. A Duke divinity professor commented recently in a disparaging way casting his doubt on the validity of the doctrine of the Rapture. Folks, you may have all the biblical knowledge in the world, but it doesn’t mean that you know Jesus! And similar to Christ’s first coming when there was only a small number who knew the timing of His arrival (Luke 2:34, 38, John 1:39; 3:29) so it will be in the end. Take care to keep yourself from the entrapments of this world (look for a future post on the necessity of staying from idols).

Remember, “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

Beware of the biblical illiterate among us: “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:3-4).